An interesting leader – who is nearing a record as a Leader of the Opposition!

Mr Ranil Wickremasinghe who was a Minister and Prime Minister in Sri Lanka, from 1977 to 1994 and a short stint as a Prime Minister in 2001, has now spent more time in Opposition, as leader than in Government. In a Government of fools, felons and figments he receives brickbats for his immense patience in staying in his position despite all the allegations he faces from within the party and from the Government. To the latter it is more a case of a den of thieves not liking one who has no mud sticking to him, other than not stepping down from his position.

One therefore has nothing to fear from the Government. With regards to the Premadasa camp, and the attacks it is just a matter of time when that issue becomes a non-issue. So that can be overcome too. Then how about the other point about his non-electability in the country!, as the Media has completely shed a very unfavorable image, which he has to overcome, and many feel it is far too ingrained in the people to change.

The remarkable ability of the man to remain so cool under this pressure is a testament not to his uncaring nature, but to his faith in his belief that at some point the wrongs in this country must be righted, and until he is able to handover his position to someone, who is not corrupt, is the rationale for his holding onto power. The Columbians needless to say have got angry with him. Many were his friends and close advisers, who once leaving his fold have become his worst critics. He accepts their nature as people cut from a different cloth, who cannot stand by with patience and are impatient for change.

This is not the place to illustrate other characteristics which include his voracious appetite as a student of international history and of the Buddhist Civilization in particular. His knowledge of the origins of Buddhism at every step of its development far surpasses that of most of the Buddhist Clergy. It is a little known fact which he does not wish to show off, but which amuses him no end when the Hela Urumaya doctrine of religious bigotry, bears no resemblance to true Buddhism according to the teachings, is used to justify Sri Lanka's questionable heritage on some aspects of the rights the Religion has on the Country and vice versa.

As one who is respected internationally as a statesman more than the current President, he is still held in esteem even in China, which the current President appears to have a monopoly over. One must remember technically the corrupt are banished or executed in China. So the strength if his character is better appreciated by them, and the current leadership would be locked up in China for the transgressions, which the Chinese have a full accounting of, as they are party to the corruption! An irony not lost on RW.

What of the future of Sri Lanka? How can this country change for the better? Those in dreamland believe things are in fact better. They are those who do not realize it is because we have a huge remittance equivalent to the overseas investments of Kuwait who send money FREE back to the motherland. That keeps this country ticking, whilst the ruling politicians are engaged in daylight robbery.

If I were to identify the biggest weakness of RW, it is his complete dismissive nature of the importance of media. I believe that media plays a pivotal role in the way people think. The President has been singularly successful in being able to manipulate this medium to his maximum advantage, using the state apparatus as his person fiefdom. Those whose loyalty he has sought, purchased or otherwise contrived to solicit to his advantage have served him well, and to that extent I commend him for that following he has looked after, in his service. I therefore believe that RW needs to learn from this to reinvent his image.

Don’t say you were not told! – your politics are now of yesteryear

I believe the Leader of the Opposition is using the May Day events to separate the wood from the trees. So let it be a notice to the mighty who believe they are invincible, that they will all be removed from any future position in the UNP as they have gone completely against the instruction of the Party to attend the Jaffna event. Why people are suckers to punishment I do not know. The end result in about a month, both Sajith and Karu, strange bedfellows considering they should now be at daggers drawn, will remain in the Party isolated and friendless.

The only option open to them is to join with Sarath Fonseka, when he is released on condition he does not get involved in Politics until his case is heard and punishment meted. This will undoubtedly temporarily upset the balance and support of the party, but within a few months the people will forget and get back to the business of overthrowing the regime. It is just not possible to justify backing a loser like Sajith Premadasa, who rose above all sense of decency due to an element of entitlement he still seems to harbor with regards to the UNP. He has lost all rights now to this claim.

It is important that all who are even remotely considering going to the Colombo event, think twice if they value party membership or future office within the UNP. It is wrong for them to believe that if they stay with Mr Premadasa, they will have a faster route to the top of the party hierarchy. It is that they will get a fast route out the door, to the big wide world! to find another route.

I am therefore giving you doubters or wanderers, a chance to get back into the fold, by taking the only chance for forgiveness. The Party Leader has read the riot act to all and those who went groveling asking for Organizer posts were told, to show their loyalty by turning up to Jaffna. The rolls of honor will be taken at both locations, and those who are pretending the Colombo one is a UNP rally must realize it could not be further from the truth. With Sirasa covering the event live in Colombo, all the deviants will be identified and the book will be thrown at them.

Be on notice that your leader in Colombo, is not concerned about you, and only about himself as he has only performed a sterling job projecting himself and his father, with nigh a mention of the party. So it is likely his new party name will include his name, and in the process show his following that is not a party they thought they were joining but a mere cult.

If one noticed the pattern in the last few years, the Leader of the UNP never even referred to his nemesis, as he does not believe he is even worthy of mention!!!!

The ticking time bomb of Islamic Radicalism in the Island

Sri Lanka does not seem to have learned anything from the past 30 years. We have not investigated why we had so much conflict and why so many could be drawn to violence with such hatred for people based on differences, in this case Language.

I hate to say the difference is race as if we look at the genetic map of each of us there is very little to differentiate between Tamil and Sinhala, and in many cases Tamil people have more local genes than Sinhala who have Portuguese and other European blood. I will challenge the radicals to have their genes tested and will find that they have less rights in the inherited sense than some Tamil, who they say should pack there bags and go to India!!

In similar light, I believe that intolerance of the Muslim people is growing, pushing many young Muslims who feel it, to the extreme fringe of Wahabism that is being taught in the Madrassas in the Coast, and which could overtake the views of the Moderate majority at present. The moderates are reasonable people who wish to concentrate on their businesses with as little interference as possible by the government apparatus, and they are generally keen to help those of the same community to grow and prosper, often quite unlike that of the Sinhala population.

The insane act of a rabid priest ( I have no idea of what possessed him) to storm a small Muslim place of prayer, no matter what its origin was, was a very foolish event. It just provided fodder to the extremists of that community to say that moderates can go to hell, and the government is bent on oppressing their beliefs.

This is very similar to the Tamil problem, and due to the Jihadist mindset of some of these people who have been brainwashed, the LTTE can look like pussies. I therefore believe it is the Government’s responsibility to tackle this issue head on, caution the Chief Prelate of the Dambulla Temple and generally take a hard line on what happened, and proclaim, that as he took the law into his own hands he jeopardized religious amity and so forfeits any rights to the sacred area land he had claimed and previously been granted.

In the earlier entry in the blog I referred to the feudal behavior of such people which if it is unchecked creates untold misery for religious tolerance. The priest in question effectively becomes the feudal lord of the area for the rest of his life, and I believe he has forfeited his rights, by this act. If he is removed by his order, which I believe is the Asgiriya Chapter, then it would calm and allay fears of a future recurrence and it is in the interests of the country to do so. Otherwise history will show that this event was a turning point, where the sovereignty and integrity of the country was compromised. This is too much of a sacrifice to face in the future and so the matter must be resolved without delay.

It is important at the same time to establish clear rules with regard to establishing religious places for ALL religions as they all abuse their rights, due to people being frightened to challenge for fear of reprisals by the community. If the law is clear it can be enforced, and no one who tries to steer a different path is tolerated.

The constitution of Sri Lanka guarantees religious freedom to all, but with it must come responsibilities so as not to intimidate cause a nuisance to other people. In that regard, I believe the use of loud speaker in Temples, Mosques and Churches must be banned as it is a modern day appendage that was never contemplated at the times the religions were set up. If the lords of the time knew of this I am sure they would have banned them, and it is only the people in the 21^st Century who have decided to interpret the use of such antisocial means as being acceptable.

I am not writing here to benefit or destroy any faith. I would like to encourage the pursuance of at least one faith, as it disciplines the person and if he or she follows the faith it must make that person better. It is the interpretation of the faith by today’s sermonizers that I have an issue with. They appear in general to be intolerant of other people’s belief and for that I immediately box them in as intolerant heathen in the guise of the pious who we should ignore.

Think for a moment what one’s religion really should be. It should be a personal relationship with one’s maker or creator and not with one’s neighbor or friend. The personal one to one factor is what is important here, as one cannot hide from above or below. When we forget that notion and make it one where it is about what others see in us, from what we do in public that it takes a sometimes artificial flavor, where the faith is not deep, but shallow and multi-intentioned, to preserve one’s place amongst one’s peers.

We must avoid radicalism, (taking an extremist view of one's religion, which does not tolerate other beliefs and  whose aims do not fit within a multi cultural and multi religious state) as it makes people of other religions uncomfortable, and we should not do anything that is incendiary. Radicalism if it has any place it must be inside the heart of the radical not spewing into religious fervor for public consumption. It is in the end how true to one’s belief that one lives one’s life, in a world where we live within the law.

Radicalism by one begets radicalism by others, so let us not beget it in the first place and prevail upon religious elders to nip radicalism in the bud, as they must surely know that the end result of this is irrational behavior in the name of one’s religion. It is better that all communities in a multi-faith country live in harmony with one another in the interests of peace and unity.

The Rape of Buddhism – it is time for the laity to challenge and march against the clergy

There is not one view I have heard expressed by the laity in private conversation about the activities of the Clergy that they (the clergy) would want to hear. It is simply that the Buddhist Philosophy has been bastardized by the Sangha in Sri Lanka (I am generalizing as there are some who attempt to live by the teachings)

There is an immense sense of shame of the Daham Pasala teachers who struggle often voluntarily to instill moral values on their charges, only to see the hard work brutally eviscerated by those in robes whose bad example is only too obvious.

It is often said that the Chief Prelate or Priest of a Temple is a law unto himself. I know of examples where he squats on someone else’s land, then builds a small hut. Gradually he expands by reclaiming land in an adjoining paddy field (illegal for normal mortals) and then grows a Bo sapling and then his larger home, and then the Chaiththya and so on until he continues the process of building a temple full of the trappings and a large “Bana Maduwa”.

Of course various registrations with the Ministry of the Buddha Sasana must be obtained but are mere formalities, and the illegal constructions are not prevented by the Divisional Secretaries offices for obvious political reasons. He usually obtains political patronage in order to carry out his expansion and a successful priest is foremost a successful fund raiser and businessman as well as one who knows to inspire his flock, especially the better endowed to help him achieve his goals. Many say there is nothing wrong as long as he is faithful to the doctrine!

I ask the reader if this is at all anywhere in the Buddhist teachings as permitted advisable or encouraged. The short answer is NO. So this kind of feudal power and land grab, with no one to obstruct is the modus operandi of many. The fortunate have inherited their positions, by being at the right place at the right time to graduate from a podi hamuduruwo to the loku hamuduruwo and it is a sinecure for life, much like the English Barons of the Middle Ages.

It is interesting how similar this is to the way the Catholic Cardinals of the Middle Ages operated. There are many similarities, and they had no regard for the religion they pretended to profess, but enslaved their subjects by fear to provide for their lavish lifestyles completely contrary to their religion.

I hope people of good sense, take a stand against this destruction of the moral teachings of the world’s greatest lifestyle philosophy, and instill a sense of piety and rectitude ‘on their priests’ to help them as lay leaders of the Dayaka Sabhas.

If this is not done soon enough there will be no moral grounds from which the religion can be revived in Sri Lanka, as the youth of today live and learn by way of example and not by what is said. It is important that the way of the truth be understood and followed in accordance with the teachings of the Lord Buddha as it is not open to question!

Technically the General should be freed on bail – but what is technical?

The General was seen as a threat to the dictatorship of the sibling triumvirate, and so he was conveniently incarcerated on trumped up charges, hoping he would quietly fade into oblivion. All his battlefield medals have been forfeited, all references to him in history and all the various memorials have been removed, and a concerted effort has been made to erase his memory from all State and Tri-Forces memorials and documentation. How absurd that is! The rest is history!

Today, the completion of a sentence, permits him bail. We live in an autocratic democracy where independence of the Legislature, Judiciary from the Executive does not exist, the fate of the General is completely in the hands of the President.

There are two schools of thought in the Government. To free or not? Those who wish to keep him locked up feel that their tasks are made easier if he is inside. So Ranil and Sajith could attack each other without attacking the Government and Ranil will always have the upper hand. It will also be less of a security threat with General inspired anti-government rallies, especially at this time when the government’s popularity is rapidly diminishing and they are resorting to religious bigotry to stay in power thanks to radical Sinhala Buddhists.

The other school of thought is if he is out, as his civic rights are taken, he does not have any legal right to contest the Presidency AT ANY TIME so there will have to be a President who is willing to pardon him and permit him to get back into elected positions. He will be less of a rallying cry and as was the example that was created in the Presidential campaign, he will shoot his own foot, with the ridiculous statements he is most likely to make. They believe the leopard has not changed its spots, and if anything his resentment has risen and would be making incendiary statements which will only frighten the public to be wary of a barking dog.

In my opinion, it is an either way scene, and only the President, fearing his personal popularity will take a beating with a virulent General at the helm, wants him locked up, whilst Ghota and Basil do not fear him out on bail entangled in legal hurdles, and want him to make a veritable fool of himself. Take your pick.

If it was up to me I will free the General and completely exonerate from trumped up charges. It will be up to him to be fooled into going into politics, which I believe is not his forte, as he does not have the tact, and patience for that vocation.

I will reinstate all his rights including his pension rights and allow him freedoms that all other citizens in this country enjoy.

It is up to him then whether he joins with Sajith and Karu and his usual suspects like Arjuna and forms a New DNA as a strong third force or gently fades into happy retirement in the USA with his daughters. I guess in a free country the choice is completely up to him. Is this country free however? If not he will not have choices!

Guess who has suddenly woken up! What after 19 years the first letters!

It is a great source of amusement amongst UNP elected MPs and all levels of local government representatives to receive an invitation from Hema Premadasa, the former President's wife, to ALL the events, organizes by the family on May 1^st to remember the death anniversary of former President Ranasinghe Premadasa. They ask out loud where has Hema been all this time? This is the first time a written invitation in the region of about 1500 have been sent out in all the years there has been a commemoration.

Actually if truth be told, she has remembered it each year, and done the necessary dutiful activities in memory of her late husband. She decided, (or is it more technically accurate to say it was Sajith) as the UNP were holding a May Day rally in Jaffna, that it would be an idea to compete on the numbers game. I have referred to the latter competition for heads in an earlier blog entry here. The dana on the day and the bana on the day before are covered in the invite, but it has now graduated into something more of a media event to gain personal publicity for Sajith and to be a kill joy for the main event in Jaffna. Let us see who goes.

To cap it all Sirasa TV is using commercials to advertize this event, a clear attack on the UNP hierarchy. It has now turned into a pro Sajith TV station, wishing that the owners want Sajith at the head, so that they could accumulate as much wealth under him, as they did during the reign of terror of the Premadasa years.

The reader must ascertain the truth of each of the statements made here and elsewhere, keeping an open mind, and not accepting anything at face value. There is much to dig up, but with many finds being uncannily like searching for buried treasure and artifacts, which has become a national pastime amongst the elected.

The latest case of who is telling the truth, was the very public fracas, where the Gen Sec of the UNP Tissa Attanayake MP said that Sajith and Dilip sought and received permission to attend this commemoration, and Sajith saying it was a pack of diabolical lies. He maintained that he does not need permission from anyone, in an arrogant tone, that absolutely precludes him from any potential of a future leadership role.

Instead of stage managing a PR stunt he could have politely issued a press release saying that Mr Attananayake was mistaken. He had merely informed the Gen Sec as is usual party practice and courtesy that he and Dilip will not be able to attend the May Day rally in Jaffna as it also coincides with the 19^th death anniversary of his father and is his usual annual duty on that day to pay homage to his memory!! Now wouldn’t that be the most civilized way to crush any doubt? But people argue ‘civilized’ is not a word that can be attached to a deviant.

To add to the irony of it all, he has managed to use Karu Jayasuriya who he successfully ousted from the Deputy Leadership position at the last round of internal elections, as the Chairman of the Organization Committee as if to allay any doubt as to his complicity in the proceedings.

We are in for a interesting internal UNP struggle after the rally with brickbats thrown across each camp, to keep us entertained, we know the outcome no matter what spin is put. Two options cannot be right, so one will be proved to be wrong! The loser will just have to eat humble pie and have only his vanity mirror to look at himself in and see whatever dream he creates in the frame.

Slinging mud against each other in public – a Sri Lankan story

The disagreements within a political party in Sri Lanka that are played out for all to witness in public seems to be an accepted norm in the Island. It is well known that in Sri Lanka there are effectively two camps competing for UNP acceptance with two very different strategies. With regard to the governing UPFA coalition this takes place to a greater degree in private, so as not to jeopardize the positions of power they have attained from which they can maximize personal wealth, a hallmark of that Government. 

However lately it has spilt over to the mainstream news media, such as the very public fight of Presidential favorite Mervyn Silva and the Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha members of the UPFA, hurling accusations and counter accusations against each other.

In a relative sense, an opposition tends to air their dirty linen in public and government tends to keep in private, so it is quite normal to have this current trend as the former is for the purposes of jockeying for power and leadership, which they hope will lead to their being the future leaders in the country, and the latter due to the importance of unity for the sake of continuance in power, something those in power hate to give up, under democratic norms or otherwise.

Interestingly the fractious state of the UPFA is now raising its ugly head, where the undercutting and backstabbing is about to reach a crescendo. To give you some examples, Bertie Premalal and his mob in Anuradhapura are frothing mad that they got few of the Deyata Kirula contracts largesse that went to Govt. favorites in the South. Now I understand he is opposed to the proposal to have the NCP elections a full year before its term expires, as he is either worried of losing, due to the thuggery blamed on this leadership, or the fact that he will be called upon to give up his powers due to new favorites about to be appointed there, and given a fillip!!

A cock-up recently created by the Hela Urumaya, where people’s emotions were inflamed by the storming of a Muslim place of worship by a mob, led by Buddhist Clergy, has created a rift with all the Muslim leaders in the UPFA coalition, that is likely to escalate further after Friday’s nationwide hartal which the President is trying desperately to stop, by making his usual promises which he will not keep. I do not believe that he will be able to offer carrots to his horses, as they know now they are poison carrots!

Another incident, where the total power over the disbursement of funds rests with ruling family, has resulted in many out of it being disgusted, by the very impotent status they have in their own ministries, where they cannot do anything they believe is worthwhile, due to their powers being clipped, and the handpicked political appointee, Ministry secretary effectively runs the show on behalf of the ruling family, much to the disgust of that particular line ministry.

Then there are the stalwart SLFPers who are frothing with the leadership for giving plum positions to MPs who have crossed over from other parties, and who want to teach the leadership a good lesson. There are apparently over 60 desperate to jump to the UNP camp at the first sign of instability, and UNP are not keen right now to steer the sinking ship, until it is sunk, before they take it over, as otherwise the people will not be able to see the administration for what it truly is – incompetent!

The UNP expect to be in a very strong position by end of 2012, so that they will force a general election, by the use of the turncoats. The die-hard UNPers will oppose taking these people in, but the leadership being more pragmatic do realize that without them it is only a touch and go situation. I am firmly opposed to this ability to change parties, as it is patently unfair on the electors who voted for a different philosophy who must necessarily be appalled that their choice has been compromised. The only way to reasonably resolve it under our current practice of the legal precedent that allows jumpers, so the electors do not get cheated, is by an immediate general election, once the whole bloc walks across the aisle, as happened quite a few times in the recent post colonial history of Sri Lanka.

The problem for the jumpers is if they can win from the other party. That fact is what prevents them from acting on their consciences. This gives rise to completely disaffected elected persons, pretending to endorse their leaders for personal gain and effectively are unwilling members who do not wish to give up their office, something in the Sri Lanka context gives them power, prestige and permission to purloin people’s property.

Coming back to the open warfare within the UNP, it is a great excuse for the UNP old guard to sit and wait for power to fall at their feet, not to do anything essential to chuck the rogues out of power at the moment. They can blame their inaction on the lack of party unity. In my opinion it is just hogwash. No matter what the internal battle is for leadership in the UNP, the people on the ground who must organize their areas, should really try and deflect any criticisms as being irrelevant to building the base and organize the party membership throughout the land.

In conclusion, in-fighting is the norm, managing it requires enormous skill, and the method of tackling it is the true indication of gallant leadership, if it can be turned round within a short space of time to an electoral victory.

The shameless liars are again up to their dirty tricks – they are only mice

First it was GL Peries who said that he had not said anything to Mr Krishna the Indian Foreign Minister, when he visited Sri Lanka about promising 13+, now it is the same story over again, when the leader of the Indian Opposition, Mrs Sushma Swaraj made a statement in no uncertain terms stating that the President agreed to 13+. Now the Government AS USUAL is making statements that no such promise was made to the Indians. When we go on this merry waltz, it is clear that the Sri Lankan Government has made, making false promises, a normal practice and a modus operandi of the administration in getting maximum support at home for its divisive policies, action or inaction and all crimes only ‘Chinthanaya’.

The end result of this is that the elector in this country gives their vote for a Leader who loves to confront the international fora and tell them where to exit!! To them that gives them a great sense of achievement of self importance, that they have a leader who castigates the large countries. If only they realize that it is done, only  for home consumption, and when it comes to meeting international leaders, they are like MICE in front of a demanding cat, doing as they please lest he be eaten!

As noted earlier, the leader of the country is only interested in fooling the electorate, as it is sufficient for him to stay in power if he is able to fool them long enough. He succeeds in this venture, as long as the people do not care about their daily issues. They feel good that the state has a huge bark, which is heard all over the country but not overseas, loud enough to convince the voter that it is true and is above all they are only people who will defend the country. This false sense of patriotism, which is a very disguised form of treachery is a sinister game of survival that is craftily part of the plan to stay in power.

We must be more adept at showcasing this lie, and the level of treachery that is so successfully hidden under the term patriot, so that people will understand why they have so long accepted this state of affairs, and so permitted a band of thieves to completely destroy this country for personal gain, not concerned about the people.

It needs a clever response, as the initial disguise is very convincing, when even very learned men have been enslaved by the created myth. It requires the use of examples - to show that funds have been borrowed at high interest rates enslaving the state so that expensive unproductive projects have been created. The people are under the mistaken belief that the funds are the governments, when in fact a few generations will have to pay for this at a very inflated cost. I am convinced that in time with sufficient actual examples, people will realize the truth and then some!!!! 

It is all a numbers game. How was yours compared to mine?

The numbers game! I received requests from Eksath Samawadi Tharuna Peramuna, Sajith’s youth wing, a contravention of party rules, to come at noon on May1st to go in procession, to the Premadasa Statue at Aluthkade from nearby Sugathadasa Stadium. This is a competition with the earlier procession of UNPs joint opposition front May Day procession & rally that is expected to commence in Jaffna at 10am.

They expect to get a larger number of people to their event. SO WHAT! it is in Colombo, and just the people in old Premadasa’s Colombo Central Constituency should bring out at least 50,000 people before any of the others come. Anything short of 100,000 will be useless in the scheme of things. So for the UNP to go to Jaffna, every head should at least be equal to 1000 in Colombo, due to the cost, commitment to take about 3 days off, and the effort to get there. So if the rally has 5,000 it will be a roaring success, which even the Govt. cannot match, except with the paramilitary groups that are roaming the streets there forcing people to come.

It is important that the people realize that it is only the Sajith faction, who are determined to get as much publicity as possible by sabotaging anything the party does. If they do not agree, they should shut up. Airing their dirty linen in public is not a nice thing to do and in the end will come back to haunt them. It is the S faction that has succeeded hitherto in giving the government all the power to do as they please, and I believe they must answer to this accusation. There is no way of sliding out of this as it is the country which suffers from the greed of one!

There is NO way in hell or heaven that SP is capable of taking party leadership let alone lead the country. RW has lost a few elections, but that was more as a fault of others than on his. The Rajapakse administration resorted to underhand tactics of lying and fooling, and in the presence of people easily fooled by promises, has survived this long. The UNP use the lack of cohesiveness to blame their losses, but it is a series of factors including that which has left the party in this mess.

It is a matter of time when the UNP will come back from the dead, take over the administration from the rogues and govern with transparency and governance, within the democratic framework that permits dissent. It is better to wait awhile for the sins of this government to take full effect, for people to realize the error of their betrayal and to vote in a party that enjoys the support of all people irrespective of race creed and economic status.

We can only see the recent religious disharmony incited by the Government to solidify this claim, and we hope that before too long we can assume a clearer and cleaner start.

Do watch out in a day or two when the Government announces that there are only 300,000 Tamil speaking people in the North and there is no need to take account of the desires of such a small segment of the population as the majority of Tamil speaking people live amongst the Sinhala people. This kind of gerry mandering of the numbers are always used by political forces to expound their prejudices, usually to the detriment of the minorities.

I am at a loss to understand why human beings get so much satisfaction in oppressing minorities, especially when they hold little threat to the majority. Is it an insecurity complex? or a far more deep rooted sense of racial hatred, instilled by an intolerant society. I am not pointing a finger at Sri Lanka only as this is common to most countries with this sort of population dynamic. I just want Sri Lanka to set an example to the world, not follow other countries prejudices to the letter and say we are better than so and so. The latter reasoning is given in this country for every ill, be it bribery, racial discrimination, human rights violations, pollution, violence, road accidents, environmental degradation, quality of education, just to name a few.

So who said there are two May Day rallies sanctioned by the UNP?

The official combined opposition, with the leadership of the UNP, holds their May Day Rally in Jaffna this year, which is a first in Jaffna, an integral part of the Republic. The UNP leadership has requested their electoral organizers to bring as many people from their individual electorates to Jaffna so that the rally will have representation from all parts of the Island. It is to show that the country is ready to oppose the Government anywhere in the country, against a book of ills that the country is beset by, as a result of the actions of the Present Administration.

The Government tried using their nominee Sajith Premadasa to poke a spanner in the wheel. He did this by doing a double game, of using his so called spokesmen, of Lal Perera and Maithri Guneratne to do his bidding on his behalf, by asking people to come to their May Day event to commemorate the 19^th Death Anniversary on May 1^st of President Premadasa. Sajith in the meantime vehemently denied he was trying to compete, despite Mervyn Silva vehemently confirming a competition for numbers. Sajith told the people that there is only one May Day rally, that in Jaffna. In the meantime his office in Weerawila was busy calling (remember that office has a FREE phone courtesy of the State as a MP’s benefit) all the Pradeshiya, Palath Sabha Members and MPs to come to his May Day rally. This was annoying the daylights out of the UNP elected representatives, as it seemed to sound like a direct insult to the UNP, and a underhand way of lying to the people by this action.

If that is not enough, Hema Premadasa, sends a letter to all MPs, in the country to attend either previous day Bana, the commemoration at the Aluth Kade  Premadasa Statue or the Dana at Sucharitha. That is permitted in a way, but also a roundabout invitation to inflame the UNPers who receive it. All in all this is a very ill conceived method of playing a game against the party itself, which in my opinion is further evidence of his portrayal of himself as an alternative to the UNP.

I believe he is entitled to do what he wants, as long as he does not purport to represent the UNP. In order to achieve that he must be disciplined and expelled from the party he pretends to lead. It is all a Rajapakse game that Premadasa is playing. He is likely to be compromised, being blackmailed about the host of indiscretions in his life, with such open artifact extractions that he was engaged in which the Government continues to encourage their followers to emulate.

So let it be notice to all who wish to follow SP that all their details will be provided so they will lose all entitlements they had or wish to gain from the UNP.

It will be interesting if the Commemoration in front of the statue at Aluthkade turns into a demonstration and a walk along the streets shouting slogans against the leadership. That indeed is probably what the UNP leadership is waiting for to throw out the indisciplined lock stock and barrel no less!!! 

The brigands are trying to make a comeback – no chance of that for 3 years

The SEC yesterday lifted the 10% band, which when it was imposed in the heady days of the overheated market, where the pump and dump boys were in action, creating a veritable casino in the stock market. Now in a dead market, which is likely to remain like this for about 3 years before the next boom cycle comes on board, this band was lifted, with the proviso that it could just as easily be reimposed if the need arises. Ask the question? Why remove it if there is uncertainty as to the fact that if they see a pump and dump they could immediately reimpose using different criteria to that currently used.

Is this a convenient method by which the Govt. stooges and players can indulge in a little pump and dump to get rid of some of their large unrealized loss positions on currently held portfolios that were purchased at much higher cost?

If the latter is the case then it is regrettable, to continue to politicize the stock market as well, which will only dampen the investment decisions of the market.

Whilst I am aware that the SEC chairman took the position offered him, on condition that he will not tolerate interference from his decision making which will be independent, no doubt even he is under pressure to find a solution to the current malaise where the market is dead, hundreds of thousands of small investors have lost a lot of money as even the EPF is showing appalling returns.

The current malaise is here for a while, until the falling economic indicators take a turn for the better in about 3 years when confidence will return to the market when there are others at the helm of he economy who hold a lot more credibility than the bunch of cowboys that operate today, on whom all overseas investors have lost faith.

The economy has taken a turn for the worse, which will directly impact on the profitability of the companies which will then in turn depress their share prices. We cannot see any light at the end of the tunnel, but as nigh follows day we will eventually be able to get over the crisis, once the people realize that there is no other answer to democracy, and that the dictator ship we currently have is bad for business in the 21^st century.

Let’s hope that once the shares drop sufficiently they will look attractive. It is the foreign investors again who will buy at the low prices and sell when he market goes up, whilst the locals will be late to follow and reap smaller rewards in th e next stock market run up. Till then it is best to get the 16% interest and stay put!!!                                                                  

Gomin Dayasiri’s opinion of the UNP – not being a ‘National’ party

An eminent lawyer in his day, who has amassed a fortune in his trade, now appears to pontificate on matters political about the state of the nation and the lack of a serious opposition and the an alternative mindset to the existing ‘STATE’ of play. He has a column in the Daily Mirror of the 17th April 2012 and I am referring to his analysis there.

I believe he is hallucinating in his old age, with little to occupy himself as a gravy train of money or shall I say a waterfall flows everyday to him that he really does not and never has understood the reality of the voter and majority of this country.

He pointedly states in many places that the party by pandering to international interests has removed itself from being nationalist and gone internationalist. Does he realize that in every case throughout the world when a dictatorship stifles dissent removes basic freedoms from society, it is international for a one goes to be heard and to put pressure on local administrations. Just look at the recent case in Burma, it is the unrelenting international pressure that has permitted some democracy to return to a state that for many years has been under autocratic rule.

He would state that it is not the same, and that we are a democracy. He should realize when the apparatus of the state is used to frighten, intimidate, and buy people, human greed is exploited to the full, for this state to function and win the necessary plebiscite which is not for the actions it intends pursuing but frightening the people and it appears himself too, that the other side intends selling the nation piecemeal to the foreigners, when it is this administration which in reality is doing this, for personal gain and fat bank accounts in foreign lands. It is the administration itself fearing its eventual demise, (you cannot steal from the people who vote for you forever) that has looked at all the angles and feathered their nests outside for this very outcome.

It is therefore very unfortunate that a National party is deemed not national and that a Freedom party, and its 15 other party allies are anything but free or advocating any type of Freedom. It is wholly rich of a man of this knowledge and stature in his later years to be so fooled as to use the sins of the Western nations as examples of their intentions over us. If that is the case, it is only this UPFA administration which will sell anything even their mothers for money.

The motto of this administration is only money and power. Whenever they require to suppress dissent, they resort to man’s greed. The most recent example was when there was threatened agitation by farmers who wanted a higher price for their paddy. Their leaders were all bought over by the State apparatus and by stuffing a few cheesy notes into their pockets, they were willing to sacrifice their principles and their followers. It is this kind of nationalism that Mr Dayasiri seems to advocate and not one based on the fundamental integrity of the nation. Let us not forget the premise of the United Nations is the fundamental principle of a sovereign nation to protect itself, and also to be able to determine its fate itself.

That said, when fundamental rights of the citizens of this country are threatened by the elected or stolen regime, it is threat of sanctions and other means that are first used to change the mindset of the regime and when that fails, the threat of intervention. It is this regime that heightens these threats from becoming realized.

This unpatriotic and traitorous conduct is what seems to be advocated by the advocate. It is the UNP that is the only patriotic party in the country. The current administration has learned from their colonial masters to divide and rule. It is this very division of the country into ideologies that this administration thrives upon. It is the very unity of the country that the UNP embodies within one party.

We do not want religious, ethnic or fear mongering parties. We want parties that are nationalist, who adhere to a one nation philosophy of inclusion of all peoples in one nation. This is not subscribed to by this administration. There was a period in the past when the  UNP had to resort to violation of people’s rights, and at that stage DO NOT FORGET that Mahinda Rajapakse was off to Geneva to the Human Rights Council to complain!!! Gomin you know that for a fact don’t you? So what was he ostensibly trying to do? Protect the rights of one set of people in this country who were being persecuted for their beliefs.

We must stop discrediting of parties. The UNP has a leader with failings to capture the imagination of the people to vote for him. It is the only party with a leader who has no blood on his hands. He has not robbed the country blind, unlike the present, mob which I know even Mr Dayasiri agrees is the case. So give the man what he is due. Do not question the integrity of one who has taken nothing from this country, but given to it and use that example of personality and morality, to look carefully at what has been written about him and evaluate the truth in light of the current example of an administration bent on surviving by smoke and mirrors, without a concern for the people and long term sustainability of a nation.

One Way out of this criticism of going outside the nation's boundaries to seek a solution,when one within does not work can only be countered by violence against the state at home, when the people who oppose the state believe they have no option. I do not advocate or condone violence as the way to go, as it begets further violence and is NOT the way to solve pressing issues. Haven't we seen enough of it in the past at least 41 years if not more!

Violence and thuggery is rampant today in all walks of this Government, where every law  seems to be broken with impunity by its lackies with no one being brought to justice. There is no one with clean hands to enforce justice, so the law of the jungle prevails. I believe concentrating on this lack of law and order would have been a more pertinent subject for a lawyer of his distinction to have pontificated on, as they have failed miserably in their profession to uphold the rule of law, and have not criticized public appointments to the judiciary that are political and who do nothing to uphold the law in both judgments and practice and who are wholly traitorous to the cause of freedoms and rights enshrined in the constitution. In light of this when not one white van case has been solved in 4 years we are talking across the table about idiosyncracies of an opposition political party!! 

When eminent people are fooled by rhetoric, to believe what they are told, and who don’t use common sense to ask why, we know there is something morally wrong with our self interested people. A practitioner of law, who had no compunction to fleece clients to amass a fortune talks about nationalism!! It does not matter if this is then left to the nation or to charity, he is still a robber baron.

Why is the Frontline Socialist Party a threat? – Paranoia

The die-hard breakaway FSP is a thorn in the backside of the State. First it was the abductions by the state apparatus of two in Jaffna  (their whereabouts are still unknown), and then there was the two in the South (Kumaran and Dimuthu), just prior to the convention, which when considering the nature of the outfit drew a substantial following.  This especially as they had to fund their own travel from all parts of the country, unlike all the UPFA conventions, when buses food, money and booze have got to be on the table before a person moves his ass over.

The publicity this outfit has received relative to their size is something I would greatly appreciate if I wanted my ideas to be widely disseminated.

Why I may ask is this? I think that it is the only truly inclusive party in terms of a real effort of being completely blind to race, and are all lefties of the Marxist Leninist fringe. This means that they can recruit amongst Tamils in the North, in a way the UNP which should but has failed to do due to lack of Tamil leadership in Jaffna and the bad association it has with the Tamils due to the pogroms of 1983 and the burning of the Jaffna library, also attributed to a UNP administration.

I am sure the State does not want a rise of an alternative party that represents the interests of the Tamils as much as it represents those of the Sinhala people, albeit a very socialist model of equality. I am convinced that they wish the TNA to be strong as they are so that they can appeal to their traditional voter base and point to the LTTE influence in the TNA as to why they do not wish to loosen their grip in the North. If only the Tamil people in the North truly understand the political dynamic, they can by tactical voting, dropping the TNA completely change the course of History, and hopefully for the benefit of all Sri Lankans.

Ironically the TNA too want the status quo, as they too can play this belligerent jingoistic game, and they can always appeal to the International lobby to keep them well taken care of in their cocooned existence. The Tamil people are the pawns in this game of chess, who can tactically back the UNP, get rid of the TNA and then they will be able to strangle the Rajapakse regime, who will not have a leg to stand on in the international arena, when they embrace a National Party and not a regional one. I trust they will finally realize that with the TNA around it is just going to be a liability for any lasting solution for the Northern and Eastern issue.

The FSP is trying to fill the void created by the disunity of the UNP and lack of progress on the part of the State in even beginning a process of reconciliation. They will not gather a long term following as their philosophy has now proven the world over to be fundamentally flawed with no possibility of a enduring future, except in the minds of a few die hard supporters as it the case everywhere these ideas proliferate. Man's selfishness is where these help thy neighbor and bash the rich concepts come a cropper.

It is all the more important therefore that the UNP are able to muster their support in the North through good contacts and committed workers, to make a dent in the public support in the North to them. The joint Opposition May Day rally is in that sense well intentioned for the decision to be held in Jaffna, but badly executed as the supporters in the North have not been able to gather enough resources to make the Southerners feel welcome and provide relief for those intending make the committed trek up North for a political ideology of a one Nation concept. No doubt the State will use this against the UNP to discredit the ties in the North, with the Tamils, but I trust far thinking Sri Lankans can see the honest attempt made to Unify the country under the UNP. 

The problem as always is the xenophobic South that has been misled by self interested political leaders, who really are not Nationalist at all but insecure in the longevity of their limited self interest, and therefore are attempting by fear to instil a classic patriotism term for pure selfish aims, that are the furthest from patriotism.

The Charade of Karuna as the Director General of Wildlife - A precursor to the Guneratnam fiasco - Birds of a feather!!

I was reminded today by a DBS Jeyaraj article about how Ghotabaya had sent Karuna to the UK to be with his wife, on a false Diplomatic Passport on an assumed name and all the shenanigans thereafter when he was found out and the breach of Diplomatic Protocol and all the jokes that emanated from that saga.

For someone that is GR who so blatantly is complicit in such outrageous behavior, then has the audacity to find fault with the Australians of doing something similar is beyond me. It was also amusing that the editorial in the Nation also used the reversing of the roles and wondered how that would be treated. Well it was reversed a while ago by this precedent, don’t you remember? So the editorial falls completely flat as it tries to imply one law for the Western nations and one for us.

I say it is the same law, it is just the person who writes about it! One with a chip on his shoulder or may be a couple to have this anti western view. There is nothing new about each countries interest, it is self interest first matey and only then the interests of others. That is just the way it works everywhere. You just don’t know how to assert your rights hence this chip.

I digress, so coming back to the original intention of my observation, we must realize we all play these smoke and mirror diplomacy games when we want our particular desires met. Diplomacy means not to upset any country as one day you many need their help! Unfortunately bull in a china shop utterings by our senior power players do not render us “diplomatic” by any means.

Our leader do not understand the word patriotism. It is to represent the interests of your citizens first and foremost, not just sit like a cuckoo being proud of being Sri Lankan. Their problem is putting their personal pride before that of the nation, and this shows in every uttering they make in public.

Our country is full of very patriotic people who are disgusted by the false patriotism displayed by the traitors who rule us in the guise of patriotism. The most patriotic do not go around announcing that, they quietly work hard at it unsung and unseen. It is the traitors in patriots clothing who continue to harass them.

This is an appeal before we find fault with others, which we have made a habit of doing lately, especially the xenophobes in our presence to look inward for a while and try to extract our prejudices, and ask ourselves why we hold those views and then try and temper our extremist tendencies to a path of middle ground. I am sure that way we do not get ahead of ourselves in this quest for justification of RIGHT!!

Does the Sunday Island have nothing to say? – What kind of headline!

Sunday Island comes out with a headline - April 15th that says ‘many war missing could have obtained new identities – Gota’. Come on Editor why even print this?

Of course we have always known, and I don’t know why it has taken 3 years for Gota to even say such, when a terrorist who escapes, and wants to hide his identity for all manner of reason, will do what it takes to do so. We just don’t have missing from the LTTE wars, but missing from the JVP wars in other countries with assumed identities. I have known that all along and many ex-JVPers have returned to Sri Lanka on foreign passports with different names. It is the only way they can return to their motherland as they could potentially be taken in otherwise.

Many state they have done nothing wrong and are unfairly implicated and I do not know whether that is true or not, the same would hold for the Tamils, and I am sure that there have been many who have returned on foreign passports under different names, as if they used their original names they would be taken in as suspected terrorists which they do not wish to be arrested for. That was when they were fighting a war. Such asinine statements from people who should know better are what makes our journalism so much in want of a fresh angle.

It is better not to say when you have nothing to say rather than publish such tripe. When we have politicians saying the obvious just to arouse people, or justify misdeeds or their continuance of controls by using excuses it belittles the cause.

It is important to note while 10,000 citizens are missing not more than 100 may have got out of the country alive at the end, as it was hard to go anywhere else but to camps. Pray tell me how they got out when the Forces had the sea covered, the air was not an option, and land was to the Menik Farm. No doubt the odd INGO spirited out the occasional person who slipped through the net placed by the forces when they interrogated all before letting them in. That is how the fighters were generally separated from the rest, and were sent to rehabilitation camps.

None of this exonerates the order givers from those culpable. That is fact, and whether I agree with it or not does not matter as I am inconsequential in this debate and only those who are able to judge determine if it was acceptable or not to kill.

The continuous saga, ostensibly because of the international dimension not letting up wasting precious news and other more important tasks is tiresome. The country pays for the foibles of a few who MUST shoulder the blame by facing the accusations themselves they MUST NOT drag the country through this - GOTA 

The jokers in politics – the trouble is too many believe them!!

Mr Sritharan a TNA, MP and a former school teacher, who ostensibly recruited school children to the LTTE, made a statement amongst a group of lawyers in Tamil Nadu, that Prabarkaran was alive and well. No doubt this elicited a whole barrage of comments including those who honestly believe he is still alive. We know in history there are many other figures who have perished, but who nevertheless have a following who do believe in their immortality!

This got me thinking that all main parties in Sri Lanka and more so in the fringe ones are awash with jokers who hallucinate on a daily basis. In the UPFA actors list, I would include the Mervin, Wimal, Champika as regular cast of jesters and even in the UNP I would include Ravi and Dr JJ into this category. The problem is all these people do believe they are serious and we the gullible reader are expected to believe in the gibberish that pours forth for they are desperately seeking attention, as if the media spotlight on them is not enough.

Media being so starved for information, clutch at such straws, and blow their sayings out of context to further sensationalize what is said, sometimes completely distorting the reason for the crass statement, and we are expected to make our judgment on them.

The issue is that the leadership is unable to contain their outbursts or hold them to some kind of order, and hence they let loose phrases of idiocy to keep some in fits of laughter and others incredulously believing.

In a state of daylight robbery worse than the era of robber barons in the USA, we must be more mindful of our politicians’ intentions, as the games that people play to hoodwink the unsuspecting public into a false sense of security is itself disturbing. This gives more confidence to the tricksters in their quest of daylight robbery which only the electors can be blamed in the end for our participation by electing them into positions where they can perform their misdeeds without being subject to the law of the land.

We must try and understand that our leaders have to be those with integrity first and foremost, and anyone who uses the comparison that others all over the world are similarly engaged, be thrown out of office forthwith. We should not be held to criteria, you either take or don’t take. It is not the degree to which you justify how much you take. This taking with impunity and believing once elected that you have an equal right so to do is what gives politics a bad name. A politician is merely a servant of the people only who has dedicated his life to serving them!!!! AS IF

The latest statement by the Friday forum – an intellectual think tank in SL - issued today April 14th 2012

The Friday forum comprising some intellectuals from disparate backgrounds issues statements from time to mainly about policy directions we must think about and related governance issues to enable Sri Lanka to regain its rightful place in the community of nations it has most definitely lost especially since the end of the hostilities. It is galling to see Burma race ahead in the international status race, only to be replaced by Sri Lanka at their previous pariah status.

No doubt whatever jingoistic utterances of the State about their patriotism to the local gallery, in the international sphere, and there I do not mean the Western nations, we have lost out, tragically.

The paper is titled “The Wise give up the Idea of Victory and Defeat -a statement by the Friday Forum” which is widely available. Its concluding paragraph is telling and I quote

“Much of the aggressiveness that we have seen in relation to the events of the past few weeks indicates that despite the end of the armed conflict there is a constant obsession with achieving victory and a dominant concern with not being defeated. This is manifested in many of the statements even in the media on the adoption of the resolution, such as “we have achieved victory in defeat” and “we have only lost the resolution by one vote.” This is hardly the path to achieving peace and reconciliation. The words of the Dhammapada that “victory breeds hatred, the defeated live in pain, happily the wise live giving up the idea of victory and defeat” have special relevance for all Sri Lankans at this time.”

This in short is our foreign policy, jingoistic hogwash, traitorous to the core, fooling the masses to the depths of stolen artifacts and holding a nation hostage to anyone who dares to challenge.

I have maintained that this Govt. while professing to be Buddhist is one of the least capable of even understanding what the Philosophy is all about, pity those who believe otherwise.

The whole political philosophy is to stay in power by fear, by exclusion, by pretence and by sheer might. Freedoms as they say for the feint hearted! The rapid polarization of the country into those led by our “Pied Piper” and those who are not, does not bode well for a pride in the nation, as one nation, where all its citizens enjoy equal rights. It is ironic that a Government that ostensibly unified a nation has really divided it and those who are culpable are incapable of seeing what they have done to this country. We are proud Sri Lankans as no doubt the Friday Forum signatories are, and we do not want to see it destroyed by the stolen wealth munificence of a few, who have fooled too many already.

The First full day of the New Year Dawns – The State of the State

As this is a political blog meant to arouse the readers intellect into the minefield of Sri Lankan politics warts and all it is now time to reflect the state of the political landscape, that enables the ruling Junta to operate in.

Let us start with JVP; ostensibly split, the latest news headlines of the Frontline Socialist Party being shamed by the Govt. to its links with a person Premakumar Guneratnam who was implicated favorably or not with the events of theJVP 89/90 uprising where thousands lost their lives. The revenge of President Premadasa and his army, on young people guilty or innocent, was unleashed. It has also brought to the fore the irreconcilable differences between the two left wing parties, whose national popularity is minuscule to the publicity and media interest it garners. This however suits the rulers who can point to the disarray within its ranks.

Then there is the non-existent SLFP, that of SWRD Bandaranayake, which for all intents and purposes is dead. None of their stalwarts have any power. The Prime Minister, one of the founding members, is just a figurehead and the General Secretary, the current Minister of Health, seething with fury as his position is nothing more than one of a joker, when he should rightly be the Prime Minister in rank. All other SLFP members are disgruntled and unhappy, and only hang on due to the perks of their offices which for greed they do not wish to let go. They are even more upset that those given power are from either the UNP where all the turncoats are in positions of superior authority, when compared with their SLFP counterparts. It is great to have them, as they hold no threat due to their unelectability under this banner in future a fate of many turncoats. All the minor parties in the coalition are just that minor. Their seniors have no political clout, just a few statements made to the media to remind us of their existence. The likes of Champika of the Urumaya and Vitharana of the Lefties or DEW, at least with some balls within COPE, but no power to move any mountains, just to make a noise. People however are fooled by the populist statements of Weerawansa at their peril.

This only leaves the UNP, which is currently embroiled in this fight of the unelectable Sajith as he is too similar to Mahinda, and much worse in stature, and the forever losing Ranil, who though having no black marks like the rest of the MOB, just does not hit it with the masses, who currently prefer to be led by the asses of the South, than by the proven keepers of the purse on behalf of the country and not for personal gain. This state of affairs will last as long as the masses are fooled by the onslaught of good tidings in the guise of mass media propaganda blitz rivaling that of Goebbels.

Whilst on the surface this appears to bode well for dynastic rule, and even majestic rule. the very confidence, cynicism and the manipulation of the minds of the people, and last but by no means least the wholesale ransacking of a nation will finally bare open the traitors for all to see and our wish for our nation is that we can before the year is out get back to some sane governance where the wealth of the nation returns to the people who create it, and not those who plunder it.

The New Year Rituals – the Commercial element – the need to conform

If one takes a step back from the hype and just thinks about the history and meaning of our New Year one will get a completely different understanding of what is all about.

Over time the rituals have grown, with many theories as to why we do this and that at various auspicious times and in order that we will obtain the best possible outcome for the next year by so doing. The rituals remain, but the lifestyle behind the rituals has changed due to the era we now live in, and the occupations we are currently engaged in.

In my interpretation, the old year ended with the harvest and all the transactions could then be completed and the homes and people could get ready for the New Year with preparations of cleaning, new clothes and new resolutions. It is NOT a religious event, but a cultural one. It is now no longer practical due our careers to set off work on April 18^th as this year’s auspicious time tells us, as over 80% of those in paid occupations have to be at work on Monday, 16^th April at the appointed morning start time, which means many have to set off for their boarding houses or homes on the 15^th in order to be at work on time on Monday.

It is now a boom for the traders who sell items that people buy, and this year I saw many people purchasing a lot of electrical items, mostly on credit, using some of the New Year bonuses that a few establishments gave their staff, but more who actually gave an advance on their pay, rather than a bonus per se.

It is really distressing to learn that most people begin the Year with DEBT and not a clean sheet. They have also gotten themselves into further DEBT just to buy the goodies for their loved ones for the New Year, just to keep up with the neighbors, as otherwise shame would be worse than truth, for people who today are not true to themselves but to their neighbors’ opinions about them!!!

It is in this backdrop that the New Year has turned into a very sad occasion instead of a joyous one, just because we have been enslaved by our selfish society. We MUST be true to reality, ourselves and live a life the really shows our character in being able to live according to our means and abilities, and NOT care about what others think of us, as their opinions are fleeting, and unimportant.

Please look forward not back and change your thinking and character to do only what is right, no matter how hard it is so that at your moment of demise, which is out of our control, we can achieve our goals, without fear of mortal transgressions.

What a fortuitous diversion for this ‘Frontline Socialist Party’ – read minuscule

Who are the winners in this abduction fiasco? No doubt it the Government. If that is the case, that in itself will lend credence to their direct involvement. Secondly it is the Frontline Socialist Party that obtained publicity beyond their wildest dreams, much to the dismay of the regular JVP who are expressing great displeasure at all this cuffufle about nothing. So in no small part they are taking this media frenzy for all its worth!

No doubt it is convenient for the Government to wipe their hands off all these incidents as they despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, continue to state they have had nothing ever to do with the white van abductions. As if they expect us to believe their fairy tales. In a state security apparatus that is everywhere, with moles in all places, in all political parties and in almost all places, how all these white vans have come and gone without a trace, is something our gullible public must reckon with if they believe in fairy tales as being factual.

I wonder what we will see next soon after the Avurudhu celebrations. The Govt. is intent to keep everyone distracted so that they can continue to pillage this country of everything we have got. Sadly even they do not wish to enter into the game of measuring the magnitude of robbery.

In the rural areas, it is robbing the farmers, sand mining, killing or capturing wildlife, searching for antiquities that are buried, involved in hooch dens, raping the forests of trees, and all other plant and living things of value to others; you might say the huge rake off of the construction of roads in villages is the largest single method of stealing from the people, as the sums skimmed are about 50% of the contracted price, and the roads are not built to an acceptable standard, rendering all this expense a waste, all on borrowed high interest money.

Is this not enough? Must we go into Cities to see how UDA land is purloined, deeds transferred stealthily, public property being used and private property, and whole misuse of state funds in all state institutions, on top of what the COPE report has been able to discover in a short period, and with limited time and resources.

Then it is to Temple property, thousands of acres of land and very valuable building, being used for private purposes and profit at the expense of the Temple and their devotees, in short robbing from one’s own religion, with many connected dayakayas dipping their hands into the till, and the rather frail chief priests with little knowledge of the value and opportunity cost of their assets, blessing them for the pittance that is returned to temples, as if that is being done with great sacrifice. 

Then how about the abuse of the privileges of the perks of office, be it for a minister or secretary to the minister or all the govt. appointees in thousands of enterprises that are in the power of the state to hand over? As people’s silence is bought, and they are recipients, of the largesse, little comes out, as few of integrity are appointed to such places.

The huge sums being paid as commissions for no services rendered. The Chinese have no qualms about bribing, as it is not illegal in China to do so in overseas countries. It is illegal for a US citizen to offer bribes in obtaining a contract, which is great for our people who’s treachery against their country, is not highlighted.

All this takes place and we have a field day in the newspapers about a non-entity going missing, and the whole sordid saga, sexual torture to boot, getting people all chatty. For their luck the Govt. had a Tsunami warning just in time when people were struggling to get home, under limited transport options, what a Godsend, they could blame it all on Tsunami and not on their inefficiency in putting sufficient transport options for the people, who had to endure enormous hardships, just to get home in time for the New Year rituals and festivities.

The reality is that many people cannot survive on their incomes to the lifestyle they believe they expect, and not what Bandula Gunewardena wants them to have. However the trickery in diverting the minds of people to other factors for this situation is the most treacherous act, of hiding behind a whole host of excuses to cover up bad management, and incredible waste.

Let us be very clear, that we MUST be alert to the very cunning acts of stage management of media events, that the Govt. engages in at every step of the way, pouring enormous resources to publicizing falsehoods to an extent that most people believe it to be true. We MUST read between the lines and know when to treat their acts of denial and even yesterday’s Tsunami warning of means under their possession to continue to distract the public from the vicious acts of sabotage happening under our very noses, at the expense of the public, or rather the citizens of Sri Lanka, in the veneer no less of patriotism.

IT IS TIME for us to question EVERY statement of Govt. and read between the lines of every event reported or commented on as they are all part of a well planned campaign of continual deception of the facts in order to gain recognition for events that while shown to be beneficial are in fact not so, but merely for person gain. It is now that we must point out the failure in all aspects of political life many elected officials, to misuse their position to commit crimes of all sorts.